Themes borrowed from myths and fables
In The Witcher ''stories there are elements of well-known fables. Although the details are considerably different, e.g. changed names, dissimilar appearance of the protagonists, the main idea of particular fables is recognizable. Sapkowski uses characteristic elements which are attributed to these stories and embedded in their plot, yet his interpretation is far darker than the original. This allows a reader to approach their childhood stories from a totally different angle and reflect on their bed-time reading memories. Some motifs are expanded and turned into episodes, e.g. Snow White, but some are just mentioned without many details, e.g. Hansel and Gretel. In both cases the background of familiarity is created that is based on co-existence and interaction of many storied themes within one world of fantasy. Snow White (from ''The Last Wish, chapter The Lesser Evil) Renfri, the young princess, is a woman who was experimented on by wizards because they regarded her as a mutant. She escapes, but is raped by her stepmother’s huntsman, ordered to kill Renfri and bring back her heart as proof of her death. The girl kills the huntsman and fiercely takes revenge on everybody who has harmed her. Her brutality quickly gains her the nickname Shrike – after a bird which impales his prey. During her travels, Renfri meets seven gnomes, morally degenerate brutes, who accompany her. '' ...Aridea often addressed the Mirror...'' ''- With the usual question, I presume – Geralt interrupted - ”Who is the fairiest of them all?” To the best of my knowledge, Nehaleni Mirrors are either polite or broken.'' '' ...I’ve received word from Aridea after four years. She has tracked down the girl, she lived in Mahakam with seven gnomes, who she convinced that robbing travelling merchants is more profitable than slaving away in a mine.'' '' … – Geralt – she said – I was a princess, in Creyden. I had everything I could ever dream of, I didn’t even had to ask … at least until your dear Stregobor and that bitch Aridea gave an order to have me dragged into the woods, slaughtered andthen have my heart and liver brought back to them. Wonderful, isn’t it?'' The Dragon of Wawel Hill (from The Sword of Destiny, ''chapter The Bounds of Reason'') In open pastures near the city called Hołopole, a dragon has been devouring some sheep. The local master shoe-maker, named Kozojed, has an idea how to finish off the dragon. He kills a sheep then stuffs it with poison and places it among sheep in a herd. The dragon swallows the bait and, with difficulty, flies off suffering. The party of the Reavers, wizards, knights, and dwarfs heads for the dragon’s vault to kill the creature and take the valuables stored there. ... Local master cobbler by the name of Booger, thought of a way to kill the lizard. They slaughtered a lamb, stuffed it full of hellebore, nightshade, fool’s cicely, sulphur and tar. ... No one actually believed that the dragon will be tempted by this stinking pile of shit, but the reality was stranger than we expected and disregarding live sheep the lizard swallowed the thing whole. The Beauty and The Beast (from The Last Wish, ''chapter ''A Grain of Truth) '' In this interpretation, the beast is a young man, Nivellen, who under pressure of his mates, rapes a priestess of a death god. She spits in his face cursing him and transforming into a revolting creature, which is doomed to loneliness. The beast lives in a castle and pays merchants travelling through the forest to leave their daughters with him for a year. If they truly fall in love with the beast during this time, the curse will be broken. '' ...The creature wan anthopoidal, dressed in tarnished, but good quality clothes, still decorated with stylish, albeit completely useless. However the anthropoidal part ended at the ruff of the kaftan – because above it there was a great hairy bear-like head, with big ears, wild eyes and jaw full of fangs and a fire like tongue. '' '' ... – Each tale contains a grain of truth – said the witcher quietly – Love and blood. Both have great power. Wizards and scholars have been racking their brains over this for years, but they never established anything, except for one thing... '' ''-What Geralt? '' ''-Love has to be true. The Little Mermaid (from The Sword of Destiny, ''chapter ''A Little Sacrifice) '' Prince Agloval wants to marry a mermaid Sh’eenez, but as long as she drinks a magical potion which would change her tail into human legs. Sh’eenez disagrees and offers Agloval a similar thing – with a sea witch’s help he may devote his legs to living with the mermaid under the water. Algoval rejects this idea. '' ... – I love her. – said Agloval harshly – I want to marry her. But in order to do that, she needs to have legs not a scaly tail. It can be done, I bought a magic elixir for two pounds of beautiful pearls, satisfaction guaranteed. '' '' ... I knew it! –the siren screamed – Lies! Stupid, childish lies, you won’t sacrifice one bit! If you love somebody, you should be willing to sacrifice something. I sacrificed a whole lot for him, I got on these rocks every day, I scratched the scale of my butt, torn my fin, caught a cold for him! And he is not willing to sacrifice these ugly legs? ... In my ballad the siren sacrifices for the prince, she changes the fish tail for a beautiful pair of legs, but she lost her voice. The prince will then cheat on her, leave her and then she will die of sorrow and change into the sea breeze at dawn The Snow Queen (from The Sword of Destiny, ''chapter ''A Shard of Ice) '' '' '' ''... There is an elven lengend – said the sorceress pondering – about a Queen of Winter, who travels the realm during the blizzard on a sleight with two white horses harnessed. While travelling she scatters little shards of ice around and woe to the man who will get one of them in his eye or heart. For he is lost. Hansel and Gretel (from The Last Wish, ''chapter ''A Question of Price) '' '' ... – My Queen – Geralt said calmly – riding to Cintra I have met peasant, dwarven salesmen, coppersmiths and lumberjacks. They’ve told me stories of a Devourer that haunts nearby woods and lives in a chicken leg house Cindirella (from The Last Wish , ''chapter ''A Question of Price) '' ... Last winter, prince Hrobarik, without such pleasantries, tried to hire me to look for a pretty girl, who having enough of his boarish advances, ran from the ball leaving a little glass slipper behind''